2012 100k 530D Touring for £12.5k - bad idea? Alternatives?
Discussion
I'm in need of a bigger car as Mrs. M and I recently had twins and my Golf just isn't big enough. I commute from Brighton to Epsom 4 days a week (40 miles each way on motorway / fast A-road with a bit of B-road traffic at the end) and I want the car to be a lovely vehicle to do that in, and also reasonably economical.
I generally keep cars a long time, and do nearly all the servicing and repairs myself using my own tools on my driveway. My previous cars have gone up to 250k+ miles before I sold them on without any major dramas (I change oil every 10k regardless of manufacturer's spec) and I expect the same from my next one. I know with DIY servicing and starship miles the car won't be worth much at the end.
Mrs. M has sanctioned a £10k spend to improve my car, and I can probably sell my Golf for circa £2k privately so I've got £12k (ish) to play with. I've never spent this much on a car so it needs to feel special (I don't like Mondeos or Insignias!). I expect whatever I get, I will keep for at least 6 or 7 years, maybe longer.
I saw this BMW 530d M-Sport which has a lot of options ticked, and thought it would be a lovely car to do my commute in, and should be big enough for the family duties. I've arranged to see it tomorrow:
link to autotrader advert text
Curious what Pistonheads thinks of this prospective purchase - what should I look out for, is this a money pit / financial disaster waiting to happen, is this a stupid idea for my ownership model, etc?
Or - what else should I be looking at?
I generally keep cars a long time, and do nearly all the servicing and repairs myself using my own tools on my driveway. My previous cars have gone up to 250k+ miles before I sold them on without any major dramas (I change oil every 10k regardless of manufacturer's spec) and I expect the same from my next one. I know with DIY servicing and starship miles the car won't be worth much at the end.
Mrs. M has sanctioned a £10k spend to improve my car, and I can probably sell my Golf for circa £2k privately so I've got £12k (ish) to play with. I've never spent this much on a car so it needs to feel special (I don't like Mondeos or Insignias!). I expect whatever I get, I will keep for at least 6 or 7 years, maybe longer.
I saw this BMW 530d M-Sport which has a lot of options ticked, and thought it would be a lovely car to do my commute in, and should be big enough for the family duties. I've arranged to see it tomorrow:
link to autotrader advert text
Curious what Pistonheads thinks of this prospective purchase - what should I look out for, is this a money pit / financial disaster waiting to happen, is this a stupid idea for my ownership model, etc?
Or - what else should I be looking at?
I was looking at a 530d Estate a few months ago but there's so many stories of rear air suspension failing and being on the bump stops that it ended up putting me off. Nice inside, dull and lifeless electric steering though.
Have you considering the XF Sportbrake? 50:50 weight distribution with power steering and excellent handling and also has rear self leveling air suspension (which doesn't break like the BMW apparently). Rarely see them on the road (the Sportbrake) so a better feeling of exclusivity. Very quiet inside as well and has the same ZF 8 speed box.
Have you considering the XF Sportbrake? 50:50 weight distribution with power steering and excellent handling and also has rear self leveling air suspension (which doesn't break like the BMW apparently). Rarely see them on the road (the Sportbrake) so a better feeling of exclusivity. Very quiet inside as well and has the same ZF 8 speed box.
ninjag said:
I was looking at a 530d Estate a few months ago but there's so many stories of rear air suspension failing and being on the bump stops that it ended up putting me off.
Assuming that it’s just airbags and not the compressor then it took me longer to securely get the car on stands than it did to swap the airbags. It’s not a big job at all. Compressor, bags, air lines.... some reports I came across were constant recurring failures. I even heard bags were on back order they were failing so much. But then I guess you do always hear the bad stuff more.
Sportbrake is the facelift and doesn't really suffer the few niggles which the pre-facelift saloon had.
Sportbrake is the facelift and doesn't really suffer the few niggles which the pre-facelift saloon had.
Edited by ninjag on Tuesday 16th April 12:19
The 3.0 V6 is much better and suited to the car but you'll need to chuck a few extra grand in the pot to get a low mileage one.
If possible try and get one with the top of range Meridian sound system. The Portfolio has it as standard but some Premium Luxury have it upgraded from factory. The tell-tale is that it will say "Meridian Surround" instead of just "Meridian" on the speakers and it's an awesome sound system and worth it.
Don't know anything about the Merc though. ZX10 knows a lot about Mercs I believe.
If possible try and get one with the top of range Meridian sound system. The Portfolio has it as standard but some Premium Luxury have it upgraded from factory. The tell-tale is that it will say "Meridian Surround" instead of just "Meridian" on the speakers and it's an awesome sound system and worth it.
Don't know anything about the Merc though. ZX10 knows a lot about Mercs I believe.
E350 CDI was my first thought, well specified in AMG line or Avantgarde spec, you may find one with option boxes ticked when new, bringing the likes of pan roof etc.
As always find one with a proper, meticulous history including invoices ideally and you have the right idea moving forward in terms of 10k oil changes to keep it running properly.
7G gearbox oil change is every 78k, assuming it is the same as my S-class.
The XF sportbrake would probably be my second choice over a 5-series or A6.
Happy hunting!
cheers
Chris
As always find one with a proper, meticulous history including invoices ideally and you have the right idea moving forward in terms of 10k oil changes to keep it running properly.
7G gearbox oil change is every 78k, assuming it is the same as my S-class.
The XF sportbrake would probably be my second choice over a 5-series or A6.
Happy hunting!
cheers
Chris
I bought a 2012 f11 520d on 95k miles last September. The compressor went at 99k miles on boxing day... Other than that issue and servicing, has been fine (on 102k now). It's due in to be checked for the egr recall in a couple odd weeks so something you might want to check on that one.
It does everything I want it to for family duties and, crucially for me, i find the seats are remarkably comfy. My back is not tortured on longer journeys like in an equivalent Passat.
It does everything I want it to for family duties and, crucially for me, i find the seats are remarkably comfy. My back is not tortured on longer journeys like in an equivalent Passat.
Maccles said:
Some other cars I'm considering:
This Jag looks nice and seems a reasonable spec?
This Merc doesn't have any pictures online yet, but it comes with a 12 month warranty and has low miles. I've rung em and it's the pre-facelift shape though, so maybe a little overpriced?
Any thoughts on the above?
I asked after that exact E class yesterday to. They sent me a video and looks nice but not being a facelift or having leather put me off. Price seems about right considering FMBSH and from a MB garage.This Jag looks nice and seems a reasonable spec?
This Merc doesn't have any pictures online yet, but it comes with a 12 month warranty and has low miles. I've rung em and it's the pre-facelift shape though, so maybe a little overpriced?
Any thoughts on the above?
100K miles for the engine and gearbox is fine on these. Just run in as they say.
We've had many x30d's, Jag 3.0d's and VAG 3.0Tdi in our works fleet ranging upto 220K miles with no real mechanical issues
At this mileage check service history, MOT history and budget for suspension bushes if they haven't been done. Check overall for interior scratches, bits of plastic missing I would be weary as it say a lot about the previous owner(s) on this type of car.
Also it looks like the front lights are slightly stained. Moisture? Check for accident repairs etc.
For the money these are solid cars. If you like it, knock it down and keep £1K aside for unexpected issues.
We've had many x30d's, Jag 3.0d's and VAG 3.0Tdi in our works fleet ranging upto 220K miles with no real mechanical issues
At this mileage check service history, MOT history and budget for suspension bushes if they haven't been done. Check overall for interior scratches, bits of plastic missing I would be weary as it say a lot about the previous owner(s) on this type of car.
Also it looks like the front lights are slightly stained. Moisture? Check for accident repairs etc.
For the money these are solid cars. If you like it, knock it down and keep £1K aside for unexpected issues.
Well, I went and had a look at the BMW and the Merc.
My first impression of the BMW was that the car was a bit scruffy, and then I realised that boot on the 5-series is a bit small for a large estate car. I’d almost ruled it out by this point but decided to give it a proper once over and a test drive anyway to see if it could sway me. It nearly did, it drove really nicely - that engine is fantastic - mechanically it seemed faultless and it had some really nice options, my favourite of which was the heads-up display for the speedo and sat nav (why don’t all cars have this?). The seats were also really nice. But it just wasn’t nice enough to justify the cost given the age, mileage and the not-quite-big-enough boot. Nothing wrong with the 'dealer' BTW, he's not really a car dealer and never pretended to be one, it was always clear that it would be a private sale (it was his own personal vehicle).
Unfortunately it look longer than expected to get to the Merc dealership and they were about to close when I got there. They let me see the car anyway, but said I couldn’t drive it today as they were closing and their insurance didn’t cover them after 6pm. The Merc was in really lovely condition inside and out. Overall I thought it was a splendid looking car, and it does have a big enough boot. Also the seats aren’t leather (they’re artificial leather with a suede-like centre) and although they were quite comfy, they weren’t quite as good as the BMWs, and I wonder how the suede centre bits would cope with me getting into it all sweaty after playing football (this happens a lot). The sat nav / infotainment system in the Merc also wasn’t as good as the one in the BMW, but apart from that the interior is nicer than the BMW in every other way.
I’ll keep looking I think, but if I happen to be anywhere near that Merc dealership in the next few weeks I’ll enquire about a test drive, although I do feel like holding out for a newer shape one with actual leather seats.
My first impression of the BMW was that the car was a bit scruffy, and then I realised that boot on the 5-series is a bit small for a large estate car. I’d almost ruled it out by this point but decided to give it a proper once over and a test drive anyway to see if it could sway me. It nearly did, it drove really nicely - that engine is fantastic - mechanically it seemed faultless and it had some really nice options, my favourite of which was the heads-up display for the speedo and sat nav (why don’t all cars have this?). The seats were also really nice. But it just wasn’t nice enough to justify the cost given the age, mileage and the not-quite-big-enough boot. Nothing wrong with the 'dealer' BTW, he's not really a car dealer and never pretended to be one, it was always clear that it would be a private sale (it was his own personal vehicle).
Unfortunately it look longer than expected to get to the Merc dealership and they were about to close when I got there. They let me see the car anyway, but said I couldn’t drive it today as they were closing and their insurance didn’t cover them after 6pm. The Merc was in really lovely condition inside and out. Overall I thought it was a splendid looking car, and it does have a big enough boot. Also the seats aren’t leather (they’re artificial leather with a suede-like centre) and although they were quite comfy, they weren’t quite as good as the BMWs, and I wonder how the suede centre bits would cope with me getting into it all sweaty after playing football (this happens a lot). The sat nav / infotainment system in the Merc also wasn’t as good as the one in the BMW, but apart from that the interior is nicer than the BMW in every other way.
I’ll keep looking I think, but if I happen to be anywhere near that Merc dealership in the next few weeks I’ll enquire about a test drive, although I do feel like holding out for a newer shape one with actual leather seats.
ZX10R NIN said:
For me I'd be looking at these E Class Estates:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
Thanks for the suggestions, although they're all several hours away from my home near Brighton or my normal workplace in Epsom. Before fatherhood I'd have gone to look at the first one anyway (looks really nice) but I can't do that these days.https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201...
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